Man rescued one cat from a hurricane but felt like that wasn't quite enough

Susannah Wollman

Contributing Writer

danknissan

According to researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, ginger cats are more likely to be adopted from a shelter than any other color. White cats are perceived as aloof and unfriendly, black cats are seen as evil and unlucky, and tabbies are viewed as intolerant. When reddit user danknissan decided to flee hurricane Irma in September, he also decided to stop by a local shelter and take a feline friend along for the ride. And who did he pick? An orange and white kitten.

"If I am going to be evacuating from this hurricane I might as well do it with a friend. My co-worker and I went to the shelter together. When we went over to Ryder's cage… I decided to adopt her," he said.

It's easy to see why he wanted the beautiful kitten. Her markings were beautiful and she was sweet an uncomplaining as they traveled 3-1/2 hours north to escape the storm. In fact, she slept most of the way.

Her new owner was in for a surprise when he found out that his new cat was, in fact, a boy and not a girl. So he dropped the name Ryder and renamed the cat "Street Boy." The shelter had misclassified him, which is a bit unusual. Most red, orange, or ginger cats are male since the gene for that color is carried on the X chromosome. In order for a female to have that coloring, she would have to inherit the gene from both parents.

After returning home after the storm, Street Boy spent a lot of time pondering the universe. That's when his human decided they needed another kitten. "I adopted one more after Irma and she's a black kitty named Mitts," he said.

The three cats are now a regular cuddle-puddle in danknissan's home. The three cats and their human tell a story of love and acceptance and peace.

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What do you think about this story? Is it true that love cannot be divided but only multiplied? It seems that the old adage holds true for this household. What about yours? Do you share your home with one or more four-footed furbabies? I hope you do, but if not, now may be the time! Check out your local shelter. Someone's waiting for you there!